World population ...:

Over 7 billion and counting

Planet Earth and its numerous resources that all living creatures depend on to survive have remained the same over millions of years .

However, the human population around the world continues to grow with each passing moment with more and more children being born in every part of the world.It seems like yesterday that we made a hue and cry over the birth of the 5 billionth baby ( July 11, 1987) but today we have passed this milestone to reach 7 billion!

While the world population is .7,050 billion and counting, can you imagine what the population of Sri Lanka is? It is 20,227,597 million . and counting .

With World Population Day just three days away let's focus attention on some data connected with population ....

Would you believe that the population of the country which averaged at 15,6500 million from 1960 to 2010 reached an all time high of 20,4500 million in December 2010 and a record low in 1960? The population stood at 9.7 million in 1960.But at present it has more than doubled!

When taking into account the world population today where do you think Sri Lanka stands? We rank in the 50s in the world population table given in July by the CIA World Factbook 2012.

The five countries with the highest population according to the statistics in the table are China1,343,239,923, India 1,205,073,612 ,the USA 313,847,465, Indonesia 248,216,193 and Brazil 205,716,890.The population of Pakistan is 190,291,129 ,Russia 138,082,178, Japan 127,368,088,Mexico 114,975,406, Germany 81,305,856 , France 65,630,692,the UK 63,047,162, Italy 61,261,254,Spain 47,042,984, Canada 34,300,083 and New Zealand 4,327,944.

The world population which is the sum total of all living humans on Earth has experienced continuous growth since the end of the Great Famine and the Black Death in 1350, when it stood at around 370 million.

As of today, it is estimated to number over 7.050 billion by the United States Census Bureau (USCB) The USCB estimates that the world population exceeded 7 billion on March 12, 2012.

According to a separate estimate by the United Nations Population Fund, it reached this milestone on October 31, 2011. Current projections show a continued increase in population (but a steady decline in the population growth rate), with the global population expected to reach between 7.5 and 10.5 billion by 2050.

The United Nations World Population Day observed annually on July 11 aims to increase people's awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, including gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights. The day is celebrated worldwide.

World Population Day was instituted in 1989 as an outgrowth of the Day of 5 Billion, marked on July 11, 1987. The UN authorized the event as a vehicle to build an awareness of population issues and the impact they have on development and the environment. With the encouragement of the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) , governments, non-governmental organizations, institutions and individuals organise various educational activities to celebrate the event since then.

[Fact file]

*In June 2012, British researchers calculated the total weight of Earth's human population as 287 million tonnes, with the average person weighing 62 kilograms (140 lb).

* It is estimated that the world population reached 1 billion for the first time in 1804. It would be another 123 years before it reached 2 billion in 1927, but it took only 33 years to reach 3 billion in 1960.

*The global population reached 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1987, 6 billion in 1999 and, according to the United States Census Bureau, 7 billion in March 2012. The United Nations, however, estimated that the world population reached 7 billion in October 2011

* According to current projections, the global population will reach eight billion by 2030, and will likely reach around nine billion by 2050.

* Alternative scenarios for 2050 range from a low of 7.4 billion to a high of more than 10.6 billion]

* There is no estimation for the exact day or month the world's population surpassed the 1 or 2 billion marks. The days of 3 and 4 billion were not officially noted, but the International Database of the United States Census Bureau places them in July 1959 and April 1974.

The United Nations did determine, and celebrate, the "Day of 5 Billion" on July 11, 1987, and the "Day of 6 Billion" on October 12, 1999. The "Day of 7 Billion" was declared by the Population Division of the United Nations to be October 31, 2011.

*As of 2012, the global sex ratio is approximately 1.01 males to 1 female - the greater number of men is possibly due to the significant gender imbalances evident in the Indian and Chinese populations.*

Approximately 26.3 per cent of the global population is aged under 15, while 65.9 per cent is aged 15-64 and 7.9 per cent is aged 65 or over.

Facts and pix: Internet.